Amusement Devices And Games Including Means For Processing Electronic Data Where Ultimate Outcome Of The Game Is Dependent On Relative Odds Of A Card Combination And/Or Where Chance Is A Factor: The Monty Hall Paradox

• US 20100203953A1
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Miller, Mark, Alderucci, Dean P., Plott, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,070,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

Games related to the provision of information are described. Games may be formulated to exploit biases such as long shot bias and favorite bias. Games related to the provision of information are described. Games may be formulated to exploit biases relating to the Monty Hall paradox. Games related to the provision of information are described. Games may include wagering on hands of cards, e.g., poker wagering games.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method, the method comprising:

providing first information about a set of possible outcomes of an event to a user, wherein at least a part of the first information identifies a characteristic of a true outcome of the set of possible outcomes;

receiving a first wager on a first possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes from the user after providing the first information;

revealing to the user, after receiving the first wager, that a first subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes does not comprise the true outcome, wherein a second subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes comprises the true outcome, and wherein the set of possible outcomes consists of the first and second subsets of possible outcomes; and

providing the user with an opportunity to change from the first wager to a second wager on a second possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes if the second subset of possible outcomes comprises the first possible outcome, the second subset of possible outcomes comprising the second possible outcome.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user loses the first wager if the first subset of possible outcomes comprises the first possible outcome.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of possible outcomes does not comprise the first possible outcome and the second subset of possible outcomes comprises the first possible outcome, such that the user is provided with the opportunity to change from the first wager to the second wager.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein revealing to the user that the first subset of possible outcomes does not comprise the true outcome comprises:

developing second information such that the second information, when combined with other information, permits at least a deductive inference that the first subset of possible outcomes does not comprise the true outcome;

providing the second information to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assessing a premium to the user, the premium being assessed for changing from the first wager to the second wager.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the user, after providing the user with the opportunity to change, with an opportunity to select one or more possible outcomes from the second subset of possible outcomes to be revealed to the user as not comprising the true outcome.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

assessing a premium to the user for the opportunity to select, wherein a size of the premium depends on how many possible outcomes are included in the one or more possible outcomes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

offering to pay a payout amount at least for successful wagers on the true outcome;

decreasing the payout amount from a first round of wagering to a second round of wagering.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing one or more users with an opportunity to wager on possible activity of the user with respect to the second subset of possible outcomes.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first set of likelihood values corresponding to the set of possible outcomes using at least the first wager, wherein each likelihood value of the first set of likelihood values corresponds to a respective possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes;

determining a second set of likelihood values corresponding to the second subset of possible outcomes after revealing that the first subset of possible outcomes does not comprise a true outcome, wherein each likelihood value of the second set of likelihood values corresponds to a respective possible outcome of the second subset of possible outcomes;

providing the second set of likelihood values to the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the second set of likelihood values further comprises:

determining the second set of likelihood values responsively to comparing the first set of likelihood values to one or more predetermined values, the one or more predetermined values being derived from data regarding expected biases of one or more users.

13. A system, comprising:

one or more servers, the one or more servers configured to communicate with one or more devices via a communications network, the one or more servers comprising;

memory configured to store instructions for execution; and

one or more processing devices configured to execute the instructions, the instructions for causing the one or more processing devices to perform the method of claim 1.

12. A system, comprising:

one or more servers, the one or more servers configured to communicate with one or more devices via a communications network, the one or more servers comprising;

means for providing first information about a set of possible outcomes of an event to a user, wherein at least a part of the first information identifies a characteristic of a true outcome of the set of possible outcomes;

means for receiving a first wager on a first possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes from the user after providing the first information;

means for revealing to the user, after receiving the first wager, that a first subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes does not comprise the true outcome, wherein a second subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes comprises the true outcome, and wherein the set of possible outcomes consists of the first and second subsets of possible outcomes; and

means for providing the user with an opportunity to change from the first wager to a second wager on a second possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes if the second subset of possible outcomes comprises the first possible outcome, the second subset of possible outcomes comprising the second possible outcome.

14. A machine implemented method, the method comprising:

providing first information about a set of possible outcomes of an event to a user, wherein at least a part of the first information identifies a characteristic of a true outcome of the set of possible outcomes;

receiving a first wager on a first possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes from the user after providing the first information;

revealing to the user, after receiving the first wager, that a first subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes is at least substantially unlikely to comprise the true outcome, wherein a second subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes is at least substantially likely to comprise the true outcome, and wherein the set of possible outcomes consists of the first and second subsets of possible outcomes; and

providing the user with an opportunity to change from the first wager to a second wager on a second possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes, the second subset of possible outcomes comprising the second possible outcome.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein substantially likely comprises a greater than 90 percent likelihood, and substantially unlikely comprises a less than 10 percent likelihood.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

if the second subset of possible outcomes comprises the first possible outcome, assessing a premium to the user for changing from the first wager to the second wager.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein revealing to the user, after receiving the first wager, that the first subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes is at least substantially unlikely to comprise the true outcome comprises:

revealing to the user, after receiving the first wager, that the first subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes does not comprise the true outcome.

19. A system, comprising:

one or more servers, the one or more servers configured to communicate with one or more devices via a communications network, the one or more servers comprising;

memory configured to store instructions for execution; and

one or more processing devices configured to execute the instructions, the instructions for causing the one or more processing devices to perform the method of claim 14.

18. A system, comprising:

one or more servers, the one or more servers configured to communicate with one or more devices via a communications network, the one or more servers comprising;

means for providing first information about a set of possible outcomes of an event to a user, wherein at least a part of the first information identifies a characteristic of a true outcome of the set of possible outcomes;

means for receiving a first wager on a first possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes from the user after providing the first information;

means for revealing to the user, after receiving the first wager, that a first subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes is at least substantially unlikely to comprise the true outcome, wherein a second subset of possible outcomes of the set of possible outcomes is at least substantially likely to comprise the true outcome, and wherein the set of possible outcomes consists of the first and second subsets of possible outcomes; and

means for providing the user with an opportunity to change from the first wager to a second wager on a second possible outcome of the set of possible outcomes, the second subset of possible outcomes comprising the second possible outcome.